Blog - News & Views

Sparktank Franchise Marketing – our new franchise marketing division – recently launched one of our most exciting projects to date; teaming up with A&W on their franchise recruitment marketing to help the iconic brand expand their reach across Canada! As a longtime fan of A&W’s burgers and frosty cold root beers, I was very excited to see this project come to life.

A clean and modern bilingual website plus series of landing pages were created to replace an outdated website and ultimately increase conversions. In addition, we managed the production of two videos for the French and English speaking markets that had the video crew interviewing A&W franchisees and staff all across the country.

We are also working on their online marketing strategy and management to help attract new prospects and increase sales.

Mink Chocolates is a Vancouver-based franchisor with their own line of award-winning, artisanal chocolates. They sell their chocolates through retail chocolate cafés and an online e-commerce store. Their website hadn’t been redesigned in a number of years so they turned to Sparktank to refresh the look and update the technical standards of the site.

Goal #1: Redesign the website.

Our first goal was to assess their website to make it more visually appealing and user-friendly.

Mink Chocolates are more than just a food item. They’re a simple luxury that allows you to celebrate special moments in life with friends and family.

The new website images capture the lifestyle appeal of the brand, with photos of smiling people enjoying chocolate with friends and loved ones. We gave the layout a more modern style, while keeping the overall colour scheme and branding consistent.

Goal #2: Make the website responsive (compatible with mobile devices).

Prior to the redesign, the Mink chocolates website was not designed to work optimally on mobile devices. With nearly 50% of all e-commerce traffic coming from mobile users, Mink understood they needed to make it easy for customers to get information and shop online on any device. The new website adjusts perfectly to work on cell phones, tablets and desktop computers.

Goal #3: Setting up email marketing.

We also set Mink Chocolates up with a new email template so they could keep in touch with customers and website visitors. Email newsletters are a simple way to turn leads into potential customers, encourage repeat sales, and establish stronger brand loyalty with customers.

“Please accept my heartfelt thanks to you and your team. I’m thrilled with the results. Thanks for bringing me into the modern age!”
—Marc Lieberman, President, Mink Chocolates Inc.

Vassi is a high end menswear brand based in Toronto, Ontario. The growing business has built its stellar reputation through word of mouth and by attracting local clientele in the business community.

Despite having well-established retail location, VASSI did not have a web presence. They turned to Sparktank Creative to translate the tactile, premium experience of shopping at the VASSI boutique into the digital world.

Goals and Creative Solutions

Before diving into the project, we conducted a Discovery Session with the VASSI team to learn as much as possible about their customer base and business needs. Sparktank’s Discovery sessions are typically filled with illuminating brainstorms and new ideas that get everyone excited about the project. Using a detailed questionnaire, we dig deep to really understand our clients’ businesses and come up with strategic solutions to help them succeed.

Together we identified four goals for the VASSI website:

Communicate their high end sophistication.

Expand their reach beyond their local following.

Showcase their clothing line.

Build long term relationships with customers.

Goal #1: Communicate High End Sophistication

VASSI excels in giving customers a premium experience in their retail store and through their physical products. They wanted a website which mirrored the brand’s sophistication and emphasized their customized, personal shopping experience.

On the homepage we showcased a high end video that conveys a sense of sophistication, prestige and sex appeal. We also incorporated imagery and a sleek design to appeal to VASSI’s discerning business clientele.

Goal #2: Expand VASSI’s Reach

Superior service and products helped VASSI expand rapidly in downtown Toronto. Their next business goal was to reach new clients outside their local market.

With a new website, VASSI will be able to promote their brand to clients through advertising, search engine optimization, and other online marketing channels. The site also highlights their membership program which encourages repeat customers and rewards brand loyalty with exclusive discounts and other benefits.

Goal #3: Showcase Clothing Lines

Naturally, VASSI wanted to showcase their clothing lines on the new website. We created a photo gallery which highlights the variety, craftsmanship, and attention to detail in every product. VASSI can easily update their collections with the simple WordPress onlin

e system we used for this project.

Goal #4: Build Relationships with Customers

In addition to attracting new clients, the VASSI website is a starting point for building a relationship with customers.

We set up a newsletter template and website newsletter signup box so VASSI could easily send out news and special promotions. Regular communication with existing and potential clients will help turn visitors into paying customers. It can also increase brand loyalty and foster long-term client relationships.

Keeping Your Eye on the Goal

A custom website must be crafted to meet the needs of the client. We built the site not only to look good, but to make a statement. The finished product exudes the luxury and quality on which VASSI built their reputation. And as an extension of their brand, the VASSI website will reach more clients and enhance their brand’s visibility.

Next up? An e-commerce website focused on VASSI’s popular line of ties.

“We’re thrilled with the new website. Sparktank worked closely with us to identify our business needs and came up with great solutions to expand our brand. They were very easy to communicate with and went above and beyond to listen to our needs. We’re confident the new website will help us grow our business.”
— Andre Vassi, CEO, VASSI

Vancouver Film Studios is one of the largest film studios in Vancouver, Canada. Their website needed a new look and new content that would showcase their top notch facility and environmental stewardship. In addition, having a responsive website that would cater to their growing audience of mobile users was also a top priority. Sparktank managed all aspects of the project including strategy, writing, photography, search engine optimization/social media work, design and development.

Features

A WordPress Content Management System ( allows staff to make their own content updates ).

Culinary Capers is an award winning catering and events company in Vancouver, Canada. They needed a website that showcased their beautiful creations and presented their extensive menus in a clear and organized way. The new responsive website work perfectly on all mobile devices and also features a new blog, a venues page, an employment section and more!

Features

A WordPress Content Management System (allows staff to make their own content updates)

“Culinary Capers Catering’s new responsive website presents our food, catered experiences, menus and overall content gorgeously. The feel of the site is fresh and contemporary and visually dynamic. Thank you to the creative team at Sparktank Creative.”
—Carla Felicella – Special Projects, Culinary Capers.

Pacific Destination Services is an internationally recognized and award-winning destination management company. They offer meeting, incentive and event planning in Western Canada.

They had grown out of their existing website and were ready to make a change to something fresh and new to celebrate the 16th anniversary of the company.

Sparktank worked with the Pacific Destinations team to develop a new responsive website that ensured their site would be viewed correctly on both computers and mobile devices. Their new site is fully manageable with a WordPress CMS, to allow them to easily make additions and revisions as required. To best showcase their work, we added galleries with full sized images to highlight the many fantastic photographs they had available.

Pacific Destination Services also required a blogto share company news and information. We worked with them to create a searchable blog that organized their event & destination news, inspirational posts, media features and awards:

“Once again, you have exceeded all expectations. I am so in love with our website, I can’t thank you enough for your time, creativity, advice, patience and expertise in designing and developing our new and amazing website. This website speaks to who we are, what we do and how we do it.

Since our launch, we have received innumerable compliments. The excitement that it has created for us will convert, no doubt, to future business and great opportunities. It’s a sales tool, a closing tool and an information tool – just what we need! Thank you for taking our vision, expanding on it, animating it and making it a beautiful reality.

You and your team are exceptional. We love what you have created for us. Thank you most sincerely!”

—Joanne Burns Millar – President, Pacific Destination Services

Vancouver local success story Sid Dickens is best known for his handmade decorative tiles called “Memory Blocks” that have a strong following of collectors around the world. Their e-commerce website wasn’t functioning properly and was causing frustration for their customers. Sparktank did a thorough analysis of the website content, drafted a new website map and presented page layout wireframes that led to a complete redesign of the website’s organization and design.

Features

E-Commerce design

Blog design

Custom interactive “Create a Wall” section design

Store finder tool design

Individual customized page layouts

Results

The new design maintains the elegance and sophistication of the Sid Dickens brand while making the process of purchasing Memory Blocks online easy.

“Thank you for all your patience and great work. We’ll definitely work with you again.”

– Niedy MacNutt- Sid Dickens Inc.

Project
Shing Digital is a successful IT company with offices in Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary. They had decided to expand their sales efforts and were in need of a more professional logo and sales materials to distribute to the their prospective clients.
Sparktank presented a number of new logo concepts before finalizing their new brand. We then designed stationery and business cards as well as a presentation folder and sales sheets outlining their various services. Our writer worked closely with our client to develop professional content for the pieces. Finally, as always, we handled all the print coordination.

TRI Environmental Consulting is an environmental engineering firm that has lead projects across BC and Alberta for over 30 years. Sparktank Creative designed their original website over 10 years ago and had the pleasure of being involved in designing a new modern website that reflected who they are today.

We re-organized their content, with a focus on making the website more intuitive and easy to navigate. We then presented the client with wireframe designs of the layout followed by design mock-ups. Once all the content and designs were fully approved, we proceeded to build the website in WordPress which allows the client to make their own content updates.

Features

A WordPress content management system which allows staff to make their own content updates.

A blog for company news and feature projects

A fully expandable projects section

An easy to use search tool

“I have had the pleasure of working with Sparktank Creative in the development of two separate websites. Throughout both projects, I found Juliette and her creative team to be highly responsive, very competent, and a true pleasure to work with. They quickly grasped the nature of our business and had many unique and refreshing ideas on how best to display our capabilities within a very reasonable budget. I have no hesitation in recommending this talented team.”
—Noni Brown, Manager Administration and Human Resources
TRI Environmental Consulting Inc.